STUDY PROGRAMME
Graphic Design and Art Direction

AFAM CODE
ABTEC37

DISCIPLINARY AREA
Design methodology of visual communication

DISCIPLINARY FIELD
Art direction

CREDITS
8

APPROACH
Theoretical/project based

This course goes in-depth on the design of campaigns in their integrated extension, aimed at the creation and distribution of contents on different media, consistently with intra-media strategies. It fosters a systemic and collaborative team approach, as well as the understanding of the specific role of the different figures involved in the creative process. It increases awareness of target goals and application range - press, unconventional, social media, digital and omnichannel.

The programme grants 8 credits, divided as follows:

• NET-RESEARCH: 2 CFA

• INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN: 6 CFA

Successful students will be able to:

NET-RESEARCH:

• Analyse briefs and identify positioning strategies, targeting, planning and distribution through media, find a context, create a connection between the strategic and creative point of view

• Use specific professional language and identify the different planning stages, professional roles and specific competencies

• Use research tools and platforms to gather data and information

• Elaborate information and prepare a strategic synthesis - analytical report

INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN:

• Analyse and decode the constitutive elements of an integrated campaign: consistency with the brief and with the positioning strategy, adaptation to different media

• Use the professional language and identify roles and functions involved in the project

• Use an integrated approach to the design of complex campaigns - concept, tools, devices - keeping consistency among brief, creativity and use of different media and devices, in consideration of the product or target nature

• Express a systemic and experimental vision: innovative content and aesthetic revisitation of alternative aesthetics to the conventional models

• Work in a team

• Present the project outcomes

NET-RESEARCH:

• Contemporary communication agencies in the social media extension

• Strategic aspects of integrated campaigns and distribution logics

• Analysis of people relation architectures and social media navigation, with the selection and aggregation of sources and information

• Practice: use of research and data processing tools as a prephase to the development of the creative brief developed within the Integrated campaign module

INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN:

• Introduction to integrated campaigns: design phase (analysis, strategy, creativity), targeting to different media (press, events and temporary places, viral and spoof, product placement, limited and special editions, ambient and guerrilla, digital environments) used as functional to the nature of the product or target, teamwork (interaction with the different roles involved: art and copy, strategic planner, photographer, digital artist, etc.)

• In-depth study of the project skills aimed at fostering a systemic and experimental vision - innovative contents and aesthetic revisiting as an alternative to conventional models; harmonization on different media - through the experimentation on three briefs for integrated campaigns of increasing complexity: integrated campaign for practice (individual project), social integrated campaign (group project), commercial integrated campaign (group project)

This is a theoretical/project based course.

Students will take part in the following activities, which may vary depending on the development of different projects:

• Classroom lectures

• Use of tutorials, videos or other media tools

• Exercises and revisions

• Workshops

• Individual or group projects

• Individual or group study and research

Assessment tools may include:

NET-RESEARCH:

• Written exam: closed questions on the syllabus, integrated with the analysis of the multimedia strategy of the actual briefs assigned throughout the course and developed within the Integrated campaign module

INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN:

• Graded practice: arithmetic average of the grades for the various creativity projects carried out throughout the course and by non-attending students

• Oral exam: testing of theoretical knowledge and analytical skills (mandatory textbook)

Further details about the exams will be provided by the professors.

The final grade will result from the weighted average of the programme modules.

• Arden, P. (2006) Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite.

• Barry, P. (2008) The Advertising Concept Book.

• Godin, S. (2009) The Purple Cow, Portfolio; New edition.

• Ries, A., Trout, J. (2001) Positioning. Positioning: The battle for your mind, McGraw-Hill Education.

• Young, J. W. (2016) A Technique for Producing Ideas, Stellar Editions.

For non-attending students, in place of what above:

• Altstiel, T., Grow, J., Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy, and Design.

Many of the recommended sources, together with additional material, are also available online on MyNaba, in the Library section.

Books and resources might be requested or suggested by the professors.